Dallas Stars Blog

Observations from a 2-1 shootout loss

It’s hard to be mad at the Stars after that one, because they fixed a lot of problems and were a lot better.

But the bottom line is they have put themselves in position to be nearly perfect right now to make the playoffs, and they weren’t good enough.

They get a point, and that helps, but two points would have helped a lot more.

That said, the fact they were much better defensively is important. They were challenged, they addressed several issues, and they improved. Those are all good things.

Can they build on it and win the next one Sunday against Colorado? Sure. In fact, they really need to. If they want to keep this distant dream of the playoffs alive, they have to start getting two points. It is the only solution.

They bought some time Friday. Will it be enough time to get things together. Well, we’ll just have to wait and see (or listen, as Sunday’s game won’t be televised locally).

Here are some quotes from the post-game scrum:

Marc Crawford:

On the big picture:

“We didn’t lose at all tonight; we got a point. Now we’ve got to get ready for the next two that are available.”

“We played a lot better tonight. That’s probably the easiest game Marty’s had maybe all year. I thought our guys battled hard. We got the net presence that we needed in the third period and it ended up resulting in the goal. I thought that we deserved a power play in the overtime – we didn’t get it. In the shootout we hit a post and a crossbar. We had a hard-working effort throughout. Guys played with a sense of desperation, the way that we needed to.”

“We did a lot of good things in the defensive zone. We really protected well. We blocked a lot of shots, we were in lanes. They didn’t get anything easy, which is really positive. On the other side, I think our offense will be better as we move forward.”

Stephane Robidas:

(Overall)

“The bottom line is we came up short. The good news is we didn’t give up five goals tonight, so that’s a positive sign, and their shots were a little lower than they’ve been in the past few games. I think we’ve got to keep bearing down defensively and try to be a little better, and try to limit the turnovers. We need to play really hard, and when we get our chances offensively, we’ve got to make them count.”

(On the slump)

“The only way we’re going to get out of it is by all pulling in the same direction and all playing for one another and trusting each other, and knowing that we can get the job done. That’s possible. I believe in the guys in this dressing room and we’ve got to believe in ourselves, and that’s the only way we’re going to get out of that slump.”

(On building pressure)

“We’re fighting for our lives. It’s like game seven of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and that’s the approach we’ve got to have every night. It’s a tough one tonight, and we’ve got to get ready for Sunday afternoon.”

Brenden Morrow:

(On tonight)

“When you have a good, solid effort defensively like we did, you like to capitalize on your opportunities, and we fell one short.”

(On playoff race)

“We’re in a fight for our playoff lives. We have been for awhile. Whatever it takes to get you motivated — we’re certainly living a do-or-die situation every night. Looking at the six-game home stand, we like to think we need at least 10 points. We let one slip tonight. We’re still in a position, I think we can take care of our own lives. If we let too much slip, we’re going to have to get some help from people against those teams. Right now, they’re all collecting points, and we’re not keeping pace.”

Marty Turco:

(On the better defensive effort tonight)

“Even though our game was a lot better than it has been since the Olympic break, it’s still tough to score in this league. You’ve got to pay the price in front, which our guys did at times. They did a great job of holding guys up and grabbing rebounds. There really weren’t too many rebounds.”

(On if the pressure is mounting)

“Personally, what I’m thinking about is just winning and hoping someone loses to gain a little bit of ground. But you can’t do that unless you win every night, and tonight was a great step in that way. I’m pretty sure if we win the rest of our games this season, we’ll be in the playoffs, and that’s something that we have control over. We’ve got to continue this home stand like we did tonight, and score a couple of goals, and squeak ‘em out, or do whatever we have to. It doesn’t really matter. This team is going to give everything they have. It’ll be interesting to see how things shape up.”